The Vow is the 849th chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
Citizens cheer and wish Ri Boku good fortune as he departs from Kantan with his men and the newly-added 50,000 soldiers from Kantan. Fu Tei wonders if the King's deranged habits had twisted his brains in a good way and made him more cooperative, and gets admonished for his rude comments by a member of their party.
Kaine asks Ri Boku about how he had just earlier offered to teach King Yuu Boku the ways of a true ruler once the war was over, and asks him if he was serious. Ri Boku says that deposing the King and placing Prince Ka on the throne would stray them from the "proper path", and they had no choice but to guide Yuu Boku correctly.
Ri Boku compares Sen to his father, and says that although the late king similarly had his problems, he could feel some kind of change beginning to stir within Sen, and hears murmurs of agreement from his men.
However, Fu Tei makes another rude remark and gets another admonishment, and under her breath and in mild disbelief, Kaine softly says that Ri Boku would have to stay at the imperial court after the war and establish himself at Kantan. She hastens her pace and starts to separate herself from the group. Ri Boku notices this and tells her that he had something to talk to her about.
In Shintei, Yoko Yoko stands in front of an army with Qin flags raised, and looks around. Shin and Ka Ryo Ten ride up and look to their right, and Shin asks Yoko Yoko if he is mentally prepared. After a brief pause, Yoko Yoko loudly exclaims that he is, and his soldiers cheer in support. Bi Hei and some other soldiers are surprised at their fervor, and Shin and Ten are surprised to hear the soldiers of Yoko Yoko's army, the former Han army, chanting Shin's name. Bi Hei and the others are moved, and glad to know that the training together for the last half year had paid off. Shin looks to his left, and sees that the armies of Roku O Mi, Ryuu Koku, and Kan Ou had gathered, and gets ready to head off.
Suddenly a loud cheering is heard from the Kyou Kai Army, surprising Shin and his men. They guess that Kyou Kai's new armor had been completed. Kyou Kai rides in front of her men and enthralls them with her new appearance. She comments that it was not as heavy as she thought it would be, and thanks Nan Chin for his efforts. Kyou Rei jokingly asks Nan Chin to make a set for her too, but Nan Chin dismisses her, instead choosing to burn the image into his memory. Kyou Kai's vice commander San Nou asks her if she would give the unit a pep talk, but Kyou Kai looks at Shin who had ridden to a nearby hill and says that he would take care of it.
Atop the hill, Shin speaks to all the Qin soldiers. He tells them that their battle for the conquest of Zhao would be the biggest one yet, with all kinds of other, powerful armies joining the fray. Shin reminds them that they would not get another chance, and that they would hit Zhao hard with every man they had and be the ones who win, and that they would be the ones to slay the Hi Shin Unit. He speaks to the Yoko Yoko army and tells them that they were part of his unit as well and hears cheers, then speaks to the Roku O Mi army and says the same thing but hears Roku O Mi scolding him, and then calls for the army to move out. Between the 60,000 strong Hi Shin Unit, the 60,000 strong Roku O Mi army, and the 50,000 strong Yoko Yoko army, a 170,000 strong army marches forth from Shintei.
Atop the walls of Shintei, Tou and Nei watch the army depart. Tou comments that Zhao had Ri Boku, the man thought to be currently the strongest in all of China and aware of the fact that the Qin were going into battle as if it were their final decisive battle, and predicts that the imminent battle would be the harshest one yet for both sides. Nei asks Tou if he actually wanted to join them, but Tou cuts her off before she can finish her question and insists that bringing order to Eisen was equally vital, and that the road where the two of them would fulfil their duties had just begun.
As the Zhao army marches on to Bu'an, Ri Boku leads Kaine away from the army into a forest, where they come across a ruined pavilion. Ri Boku tells Kaine that it is the site of a wedding hall that belonged to the Kashui Tribe, a settlement absorbed long ago by Zhao. The situation hits Kaine, and she turns to see Ri Boku getting off his horse and extending a hand to help her down from hers. He tells Kaine that since their time in Ganmon, she had been always been by his side and supporting him, and her presence had saved him many times.
He brings up that the battle that is abou tot begin would be on an unprecedented scale, fought across a vast, sprawling area, and did not know when he would be able to see her again. Kaine hurriedly tells him that she would rush to his side no matter what, but Ri Boku tells her that just so that she would not have to do that, he had brought her to the former wedding hall, and then asks Kaine to become his wife. Kaine tears up and embraces him, and through tears and sobs accepts his proposal.
Characters
Zhao
Qin
High Points
- Yoko Yoko joins Qin in their war against Zhao and leads the former Han soldiers.
- Ri Boku and Kaine agree to get married.